Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
What's going on here? מַה זֶה?
The two goats in the Yom Kippur ritual met two different fates. One would be offered as a sacrifice, and the other would be sent to the wilderness (Vayikra 16:8-10). This wilderness is described with an unusual word: לַעֲזָאזֵל (la-Azazel, to/for Azazel). This word appears nowhere else in the Torah!
Where or what or who is Azazel?
- Rashi, based on the Gemara, says it’s a steep, rocky mountain. This might be connected to the word עָז (az), which means “strong” or “fierce.”
- Azazel could be a combination of the words עֵז (eiz, goat), and אֲזָל (azal, to go away). In this case, Azazel describes the goat itself, and what happens to it.
- According to Ibn Ezra, the true meaning of Azazel is a deep secret that you cannot fully understand until you are 33 years old. (He was probably hinting at the idea that Azazel was a demon!)
Did you know?
The English word “scapegoat” is used to describe someone who is blamed for someone else’s actions. It’s a translation of Azazel, if you follow the second explanation above!
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